Mance Promoted to Head Softball Coach at St. John Fisher College
St. John Fisher College is proud to announce it has promoted long-time assistant coach
Bari Mance to the position of head softball coach. For the past 10 years, Mance has been in the dugout for Fisher as an assistant to Len Maiorani, who retired last month after 19 consecutive winning seasons. Prior to her coaching career, Mance was a four-year lettewinner for the Cardinals, serving as the team's catcher.
"It has been a great joy of mine to both play and work for the St. John Fisher College softball program," said Mance. "I look forward to the new challenge of heading the program and plan to continue the great success we've had over the past 20 years."
Mance takes over a highly-successful program that just last season finished 35-14 overall and won the Empire 8 Championship as the No. 3 seed, knocking off No.1 Utica College on its home field. The Championship win earned the Cardinals an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Championship, where they were named the No. 1 seed in the Ithaca Regional. Fisher finished third in the Regional, bowing out after five games over a three-day span.
"We are excited to promote Bari as our head coach," said athletic director
Bob Ward. "She has been a large part of our success and has learned a great deal under Coach Maiorani. I have no doubt she will move the program forward and maintain Fisher's status as one of the nation's top teams."
In the 10 seasons that Mance has been on staff, Fisher holds a 299-157-1 (.654) record. During the past three seasons, the Cardinals have recorded 30 or more wins, making for the most wins in a three-year span in program history.
As an assistant, Mance has also overseen the Cardinals capturing all four of the program's Empire 8 Championships, winning four of the last six Conference crowns. The team also has made an appearance in the NCAA Championship in each of those years after earning the E8's automatic bid along with a 2012 at-large selection after finishing the season 33-12.
As a player, Mance was a member of the 1999 squad that set the College-record for wins in a season with 39, as a junior in 2001, she helped guide Fisher to its first-ever NCAA Division III Championship appearance.
For the past eight years, Mance has worked in the Rochester City School District, teaching English along with other duties.